Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-04-04
LOCAL COLOR.

81 would like" said Paul Dabney,
addressing his friend Charley Brock
den, ''to visit some quiet, rural village.
want to obtain good idea of the
modern conventional town of the West.
/ am trying to describe such scene in
my new book. desire to give it local
color-make it as realistic as possible. I"
''Why don't you go to Glenwood for
q week or two?" inquired Brockden.
"GlenwoodP'
Eyes, Glenwood, Nebraska. That's
nice, quiet town, and would just suit
your purposes | should Judge.
"Eminently rustic and-and Sc
cluded: something like far from the
busy haunts of men?'
"Unqualifiedly So"
Paul Debney departed forthwith for
Glenwood, twenty miles from q station
on the Union Pacific Railway. The re-
naming distance was made by stage.
Aside from Dabney three other passen-
gers occupied the broad leather seats
of the Concord coach, young lady
and two men. The latter were resi-
dents of Glenwood, David Tompkins
and John Williams. The strikingly
handsome girl, above the medium size,
with full developed form, and dressed
in a combination of quiet gray, was,
evidently, like Dabney, visiting
stranger to Glenwood. 1t was an April
day. The road, though heavy, led
through picturesque section of wild
and broken country. through sandy
shouldered bluffs, narrow canons
threaded by bubbling creeks fed from
springs in distant hillsides; at times
beside newly opened farms, the black
plowed fields lending fresh, earthly
aroma to the atmospheric tonic of the
morning.
80 far thought Dabney, 1.-THE
quiet local eoloring is all that could be
desired"
After few casual observations ex-
changed with Paul, the Glenwood citi-
zens confined their discussion on strict
ly local topics to themselves. Paul
and the young lady were thus COM
PEELED to entertain each other This
was no hardship to Paul. He discov-
cred that in educational accomplish
ments and culture Miss Minnie Dexter
was by no means inferior to himself.
He generously admitted this fact, men
tally, and involuntarily he testified to
it by certain well-read and correctly
interpreted indications.
Ten miles yet from Glenwood the
wheels of the coach sank into a treach-
erous gully, the driver rolled from his
box, and the frantic, struggling horses
attempted TO drag the capsized vehicle
on its side up the gulch. 1t is quite
likely that Miss Dexter never exactly
knew how she eXtricated herself from
the coach. bat it is certain that she was
quickly ut the heads of the foaming,
frightened team, and there she held
them till the driver came limping to
her assistance. The stage righted,
Mr.. David Tompkins was found with a
white, scared face and q broken leg.
John Williams helped himself out, but
Dabney for a few minutes appeared
stunned and helpless. With one of her
fair, white hands gashed with broken
glass and bleeding, Miss Dexter brought
water from brook near by and re-
vived him. Then the unfortunate Mr.
Tompkins was made as comfortable as
possible with shawls, rugs, Buffalo
robes, and horse blankets, few re-
pairs affected in the harness, and the
party proceeded on its journey.
At Glenwood surprise awaited
Dabney. A town of but 1900 inhabi-
tants, it appeared to him to contain
fully $4,000, and all the combined en-
ergy of such a population condensed in
a limited space. He was told that the
next was election day-the annual
spring turning of rascals out and in.
In addition to the political issues there
was also, to be voted upon, PROPOSE
ton to bond the county in aid of q
railway extension to Glenwood. This
complicated the situation. And be-
sides all this the evening of the cleo
ton day was the date for the annual
school meeting